Sudan used to have the largest area of all the countries in Africa. However, on July 9, 2011, the southern part of the country left and became a new country, South Sudan. Sudan now has an area of 1,861,484 square kilometres (718,723 square miles).[7] It is the third largest country in Africa by area. The Nile flows through Sudan, providing water to crops. There are many different tribal and ethnic groups, though the country is mainly divided between the north, which has more Arabic people, and the south, which has more people of African descent.